Transforming Union Station from a transit hub to a destination

Union Station is near downtown and the Arts District, which have become two of L.A.’s hottest neighborhoods.

Lighted photographic artwork fills the passageway from Union Station East to Union Station West.

Andrew Manley, 27, plays the piano for waiting passengers at historic Union Station, which opened in 1939.

The plans to draw Angelenos to Union Station include a summer concert series managed by LiveNation that will feature emerging artists who live in Los Angeles.

The information kiosk with a touch screen in the Patsaouras Transit Plaza.

Traxx Restaurant and Bar at Union Station. As part of a multimillion-dollar restoration effort, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority hopes to breathe new life into the landmark by hosting concerts, leasing retail space and improving the restaurant offerings.

Union Station opened in May 1939. Transit hubs in other major U.S. cities have thrived as commercial and cultural centers, but those stations handle far more riders per day than Los Angeles, in more dense, walkable environments.

Clay and Lynn Smith of Brea look at the historic ticket concourse in Union Station. The efforts to revitalize the station will also serve as a test of L.A.’s efforts to coax more Angelenos onto the region’s rapidly expanding rail system.

Passengers in Union Station’s iconic waiting room rest on buttery leather chairs and gaze at the ceiling’s painted beams.